Maris Verginix
, birthing-chamber, Palace of Shadows, Sanctaphrax|died = After 60 |marriage = Married|signature = |species/_race = Fourthling|gender = Female|eyes = Green''The Curse of the Gloamglozer, Chapter 16: Freefall|skin = Light|hair = Dark , Chapter 13: Sister Screechscale|relations = *Linius Pallitax (father) *Yena Pallitax (mother) *Dacia Vespius (aunt) *Heft Vespius (uncle) *Quintinius Verginix (husband) *Twig Verginix (son) *Keris Verginix (granddaughter)|professions = *Healer *Sky Pirate|appearance = * * * * * |role = |family = *Pallitax *Verginix}} '''Maris Verginix' (née Pallitax) was the daughter of Linius and Yena Pallitax, the wife of Quint, and the mother of Twig. Biography Role in The Curse of the Gloamglozer Maris grew up in Sanctaphrax with her father, Linius Pallitax, the Most High Academe of Santaphrax; Tweezel, a loyal Spindlebug butler; Welma, a Woodtroll nurse; and her pet Lemkin, Digit. When Quint first arrived at their home in the Palace of Shadows and became Linius's apprentice Maris resented him for taking her father's attention, but eventually they became friends and embarked on their first of many adventures together. When Quint waited by the sky-cage for the return of Linius after he had adventured into the heart of the Sanctaphrax rock, he saw that Linius had returned in a bad way. To discover what could be lurking in the catacombs of the great rock he followed Linius on his next journey through the stonecomb. Quint was chased out by the Blood-Red Glister created by the First Scholars. Maris, having become more and more concerned for her father's well-being, convinced Quint to let her travel with him into the centre of the rock. Once they had embarked upon this adventure they found themselves face to face with the very same creature Quint had previously been chased by. The Blood-Red Glister attacked them, but they were saved by the kindly Bungus Septrill, an earth-scholar who was once the High Librarian of the Great Library of Sanctaphrax. On their way back up out of the stonecomb Quint slipped away, deciding to uncover the secrets of the Ancient Laboratory. Bungus and Maris returned to the stonecomb in an attempt to stop Quint from releasing the feared and dreaded Gloamglozer that Linius had created there, but were ambushed by the glister again. Bungus sacrificed his own life, trapping the monstrous glister forever and allowing Maris to catch up with Quint. She revived him after his ordeal with the Gloamglozer and the two of them returned to the surface of Sanctaphrax. "When I leave Santaphrax you will come with me," Quint said, "You can stand beside me at the helm of a great sky ship and together we shall sail to the furthest corners of the sky." Maris nodded, "And perhaps," she said dreamily, "Even further than that." Role in The Winter Knights After her father's death at the start of The Winter Knights Maris went into the care of Heft and Dacia Vespius in Undertown. Meanwhile Quint attended the Knights Academy in Sanctaphrax. Heft and Dacia proved to be cruel and unloving guardians who kept Maris locked in her room. She never saw so much as a penny of the money her father had left her. ]]Up in Sanctaphrax the scheming Vilnix Pompolnius forged letters to Maris addressed from Quint, faking Quint's friendship with him and accusing Maris of not being a good friend to him (the pretend Quint). Taking advantage of her need to win back Quint's friendship, Vilnix asked her for money which he used to pay for a poison to kill Hax Vostillix, the Hall Master of High Cloud. Vilnix also set a trap for Maris and Quint at the Loftus Observatory where he expected them to fall to their deaths. They were saved by Raffix Emilius, Phin, and Stope, who sailed the Cloudslayer by the Loftus Observatory. Maris, Quint and their friends flew into Open Sky and managed to end the terrible winter plaguing the Edge by healing a sick Cloudeater with stormphrax. When they got back they found the remains of the terrible Battle of the Knights Academy and discovered that Vilnix had been expelled from the Academy for insubordination and had taken a place in the College of Rain instead. Quint was due to return to the reformed Knights Academy and Maris to return to Sanctaphrax by order of the Professors of Light and Darkness. However, Wind Jackal swooped in at the last moment and whisked them off on an adventure to find the evil Turbot Smeal instead. Role in Clash of the Sky Galleons Maris, Quint, Wind Jackal and the crew of the Galerider went in search of the devious and treacherous quartermaster Turbot Smeal out in the Cliff Quarries. Their quest continued to catapult them around the edge, to the Tarry Vine Tavern, where Maris and Quint met Wind Jackal's old friend, the charming Thaw Daggerslash. Upon receiving a Message of No Return telling the obsessed and tormented Wind Jackal that he would find his former quartermaster in the Sluice Tower, everyone except Maris and Tem Barkwater ventured to the haunting tower with the waif Menisculis. However, they inevitably ran in to danger with a waif assassin who was murdered by Menisculis before they were hit by a vast torrent of water. Luckily Maris - who felt hurt and left out, paid the sky ferry pilot Duggin to take her and Tem to the tower where they saved the crew aboard Duggin's sky ferry, the Edgehopper. However, Maris was not thanked for this heroic act and was instead scolded by Quint and Wind Jackal for disobeying their orders. Maris felt hurt by this despite knowing that Quint was concerned for her safety. She was, however, quick to forgive him as their fate suddenly rested in each others' hands when the Galerider was hit by a storm and they plunged into the heart of the Deepwoods. They battled to survive and to find an Ironwood tree to set alight and signal to the sky ship so they could be rescued. When they finally found one and set it alight, they were in trouble again as Quint was trapped up on the top of the blazing ironwood pine and Maris bravely chose not to leave him. Eventually the Galerider spotted and rescued them, alive although not in the best shape, and set sail to the Great Shryke Slave Market. There they met a starved and distressed Hubble. The suspicious and changed Thaw Daggerslash explained Hubble's injuries as the fault of Turbot Smeal. Without question Wind Jackal recruited Thaw and Hubble and they all travelled to a Woodtroll village where Wind Jackal made a deal with the woodtrolls. Together they hunted a vicious Bloodoak to supply the leagues back in Undertown. Events reach an almighty peak for Maris and the crew though, when Thaw and the Captain ventured onto the sky ship wreck where Smeal was rumored to be hiding. Thaw returned alone, saying that Smeal murdered Wind Jackal and that he had been successful in carrying out the Captain's wishes by killing Smeal. Maris comforted Quint at the loss of his father. Thaw suggested that he himself should become the next captain. Of course there was uproar but Spillins the Oakelf decided the fairest way would be to hold a Shryke tooth voting within the crew to decide between Quint and Thaw. The vote was equal up until it was Maris's turn. Thaw's charm had an impact on her but she loyally chose Quint, her dearest friend. Quint took his place at the helm as captain and Thaw moodily fled the ship. He returned to battle Quint again at Wilderness Lair in an fight against the mighty Leauges of Undertown. During the battle a figure appeared on the Galerider. Quint concluded it was Turbot Smeal engaging in close combat to avenge his father. Turbot Smeal was unmasked as the devious Thaw Daggerslash. All the while Maris sat by the sidelines spurring Quint on. At the end of the novel Quint and Maris returned to Sanctaphrax where they found themselves back at the Knights' Academy where they engaged in a long kiss. Role in The Slaughterer's Quest After the loss of her son Twig in the Deepwoods, Maris had not spoken a word since that fateful voyage when she left her son to a family of Woodtrolls and had taken ill in her bed for many moons. After the disappearance of Quint, she wandered the never ending Deepwoods collecting any waifs or strays she found and taking them into her care like she hoped would have been done for her son. Maris's granddaughter, Keris, eventually came to the Free Glades, finding her grandmother in a Caterbird cocoon on Lullabee Island. For the first time since she had lost her son, Maris spoke, saying that Keris would one day see her father again. Trivia * Maris was voted "Favourite female character in the Edge Chronicles" by the community in June 2017 with 53.85% of the votes. More polling results here. References de:Maris Pallitax fr:Maria Verginix Category:Characters Category:Fourthlings Category:Females Category:First Age of Flight Category:Article stubs Category:Trivia Category:Second Age of Flight